This, of course, is after the fact that four (count ‘em, four!) parliamentary committees have already rejected ratification of the international treaty. The controversial intellectual property treaty does not enter into force until six signatories have ratified it. So far, none have.

Within the legislative body, two European parties, the European Conservatives and Reformists and the European People’s Party, have proposed dueling amendments to keep the controversial legislation alive. The EPP is calling for ratification, while the ECR is urging for a suspension until after the European Court of Justice has delivered its opinion. Parties on the left side of the political spectrum—including the Liberals, Greens, and Socialists—are roundly opposed to ACTA.

“This illustrates how much the European Commission and industrial lobbies have been pushing hard on the INTA members in order to have at least the final vote postponed, despite the opinion of the four committees [who voted against it],” he wrote. “If the final vote is postponed by INTA Members, especially if the vote is ‘secret,’ the Parliament would in effect renounce to its political power, and fail to defend EU citizens against ACTA.”

I don't like the vote-in-secret part. There will be no accountability.

Secret voting is about making accountability work in the opposite direction. That's how most democratic elections are decided. In the UK this was introduced to prevent owners of rotten boroughs being able to buy the constituency. Corporate lobbyists love it when they can do the same.